Ryan Pownall’s homicide charge is the change Colin Kaepernick knelt down for

Colin Kaepernick is a hero who protested racial injustice, and in doing so sacrificed his NFL career.

And though the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has now gained a reprieve of sorts after Nike selected him for its new advertising campaign, Kaepernick’s reappearance on the national stage has spurred a new round of animus.

Some white conservatives and their allies are burning their Nike paraphernalia. Others are cutting Nike logos from their clothes.

But in my view there is a much simpler explanation for the anger now being targeted at Nike: Kaepernick spoke up against the systematic racial oppression that is present in American policing, and Kaepernick’s protest brought about change.